Asheville cyclist and Tour de France rider Brent Bookwalter stops to greet his wife, Jamie Bookwalter, during the first week of the Tour de France in Nice, France.

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Exhaustion oozed from Brent Bookwalter's beat-up body Wednesday, all the way from the French Alps through the cellphone line.

Bookwalter, 29, of Asheville, had just completed Stage 17 of the 100th Tour de France, which began June 29. The 21-stage race, the world pinnacle of bicycle racing, will end after more than 2,100 miles Sunday in Paris.

"I'm pretty tired. It's getting down to the home stretch, so the body is pretty empty and the mind is kind of the same, but I'm trying to get revved up for the next three days. It's important to stay focused," Bookwalter said from France. ...